The Goddess Journey
by Azrah Valentine
Summary: The Sanzo-ikkou never expected to have more companions. Journey to the west was never this complicated and exciting. She too had assignment to fulfill. One do not have memories, One have so many secrets. So what is this "fate" that makes them in the team? Secrets slowly unravel as they journey to the west.


**The Goddess Journey**

 **Written and Edited by Azrah Valentine and Xanvas Qu**

Disclaimer: This story is a fan fiction of **Gensomaden Saiyuki** , originally authored by **Kazuya Minekura**. The fan fiction authors wish the readers to understand any changes to characters' personalities and behaviors original of the animation and comic book may be altered.

! Warning: This chapter is one of many which will consist of more than ten pages.

 **Journey 01: Town Under Dark Clouds**

The townspeople stared at the forest in the distance and watched as dust swirled in the air. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slashed from the ground up towards the sky in an ear piercing shriek. The clouds began to swirl around the column of light and darkened, blanketing the sky in its gloom. The only light now came from the glowing pillar at the border of the forest. The townspeople mumbled and murmured amongst themselves until a voice shot out from the crowd.

"The Fortuneteller! The Fortuneteller will know what's happening!" The body of people began to agree and nodded to each other. "She'll tell us what to do!" They all marched over to 'THE INN' and only a few entered the building because of how small it was. Ta'ari, the innkeeper, raised his head from behind the reception table and was surprised to see the huge number of people.

"What's going on here?" He asked in his deep voice. He was a slender man sporting a thick bed of dark hair which he combed back neatly. Everything about him gave the first impression of a reliable man. "We've only got room for thirty people."

A man stepped forward, "We need to see your wife."

Ta'ari let out a sigh, "She's resting now. You all know that."

The man was persistent, "There is something going on out there! Can't you see?"

Ta'ari walked over to the window and his eyes widened when he saw the scene outside. He heard the sound of glasses clinking against each other and turned to see his twin daughters carrying trays of them and a jug of water. "Momo, call your mother out." She gave him a look that told him she was sleeping but he just shook his head and she placed the tray down on a nearby table before going through a corridor next to the stairs. "Mimi, prepare the room for a fortune telling." His daughter quickly placed her tray next to the one her sister previously held and started rearranging the furniture.

"There's no need, Ta'-kun." Ta'ari turned to see his wife. Her light colored robe gave her an enchanted look especially with her golden hair framing her soft face, cascading down on her bare shoulders. "I predicted something was going to happen but I didn't expect something as huge as this."

"Fortuneteller!" The people exclaimed. "Give way for the Fortuneteller!"

"Mononoke, where are you going?" Ta'ari followed her but she stopped him. "Where-"

She just smiled at him, "I can't guarantee your safety if you come with me."

Ta'ari grabbed her hand, "I'm going with you." He turned enough for his twins to hear him, "You girls stay here." He returned his gaze to his wife, "I'm going with you." His voice was thick with determination.

She stared at him for the longest time before nodding. But before they could step out of town, demons appeared. They smirked and chuckled as their tongues slid across their lips, their saliva thick and stringing to their teeth and mouths. The townspeople took steps back then ran into the center of town, going into buildings and houses in hopes that it would shelter them from the demon attacks.

Mononoke looked at them. Then, she lifted her hand up, her fingers making signs in front of her face. Before the demons knew what was happening, they were eradicated one by one. A few tried to attack her but Ta'ari had pulled out a knife and slashed the few that lunged at her. The demons backed away and quickly disappeared. Both Ta'ari and Mononoke was worried but neither said a word. This was the first demon attack they've encountered here meaning that something big was happening. Mononoke started to walk towards the light in the distance and Ta'ari followed closely behind her.

No demons attacked them during their journey towards the light, which seem to have slowly been fading away. The skies were brightening as the clouds steadily dispersed and the cool air warmed as the sun began to shine again. It almost felt like nothing had happened. Both Mononoke and Ta'ari stopped and stood at the border of the forest. They could hear some rustling in the dark depths and a few growling and groans. Suddenly, there was a painful moan from behind them. The couple spun around, ready to attack but it was a woman. Carefully, Ta'ari walked over to her and realized it was not a woman but a young girl.

Ta'ari held the girl in his arms and he lifted his head to look at his wife, "Mononoke?"

As the sun slowly lowered itself behind tall trees in the horizon the sky darkened and rain began to fall. In a matter of seconds the rain water quickly rose above ground and the rumbling sky soon turned into the booming sound of thunder. Lightning flashed, lighting the flooding village silently before the loud percussion roared. The houses of the town seemed to be recently reconstructed from the axed down trees just outside the town gates. The buildings were on high, thick stilts to keep the rain from flooding the interiors.

As the rain poured heavily, four strangers in thick cloaks walked through the town searching for a place to stay. Their trousers and footwear were drenched and filled. A pair of the cloaked figures were energetically animated.

"Get off me you stupid monkey!" Gojyo shoved the clinging Goku away from his body. His veins appeared at his temple when Goku grabbed onto his arm and wouldn't let go.

Goku looked up and his eyes widened innocently, tears gushing down his face like twin waterfalls, "The thunder's scary, you cockroach! Let me just stay here for a bit!" More veins appeared on Gojyo's head when Goku wouldn't budge even after he kicked him. Gojyo attacked him with a headbutt and Goku released his hold on the redheaded man. Goku frowned with the tears still flowing down his cheeks as he rubbed the bump. His hair hid it when he moved his hand away, "Why can't you just be like a normal cockroach?"

Goku and Gojyo stared up at the sky again when the thunder growled angrily. Quickly, Goku tugged at Hakkai's sleeve while standing behind him in an attempt to both catch his attention and lessen the chances of him getting struck by lightning. "Nnh, Hakkai. It doesn't look like ordinary weather, does it?" Hakkai nodded once and, smiling, continued to walk with difficulty from the knee-high rain water. He caught a glimpse of Sanzo from the corner of his eye and he let out a defeated smile when he noticed that the golden headed monk was irritated by the weather. Sanzo paused in front of a building for a few moments before forcing his foot out of the water and up the stairs. The others looked up and saw the faded and blurred sign 'THE INN' placed above the entrance doors.

The party entered the building and the rain that clung to them quickly pooled around their feet. The air inside the building was warm and welcoming compared to the harsh wet weather outside. The man behind the reception desk lifted his head from his papers and got off his chair. He smiled at them and nodded once, "Welcome to _The Inn_." On both his sides were his twin daughters whom appeared to be the same human age as Goku. Like their father, they had light brown hair which they have styled in side ponytails. In their hands they held an empty tray each and their outfit made them look quite cute catching the attention of Gojyo the pervert.

"Well, well!" Gojyo removed the hood of his cloak revealing his shocking red hair and took a step forward placing the innkeeper and his daughters' attention on him, "Hello there, little beauties!" Gojyo had quickly forgotten about the rain outside and had started to flirt with the pretty young girls. His flirting took the girls off-guard and they quickly backed off, bumping into each other and a few furniture as they tried to get away, squealing and blushing. "They really do look cute." Gojyo stared even when they were long gone.

Hakkai smiled at Gojyo's comment, Sanzo was looking around the inn's seating areas and Goku stared at Gojyo; his eyes narrowed in irritation, an eyebrow twitching, "Perverted cockroach..."

The innkeeper cleared his throat. When they all looked at him he gave them a huge smile, "My name is Ta'ari and I own this inn. The two girls you saw earlier were my daughters." He flashed a warning fatherly look at Gojyo without changing his smiling face, "My daughters." Gojyo was a little irritated that he was the one singled out and Goku snickered. "Would you gentlemen like to sign in?" He flipped open a book that listed the guests' names and the rooms they stayed in.

"Yes, please." Hakkai spoke for all of them. Sanzo was already sitting on one of the couches provided. The fireplace at one end of the room warmed the small place quickly, keeping a constant temperature cycling around the area. Hakkai pulled his hood off freeing his brown hair. He fixed his monocle that was clipped at the bridge of his nose.

Ta'ari produced forms for each person. "Please fill in separate forms. It may seem like a small town but I love to keep records of my guests." He lowered his head, "Please fill in your names and the date. I will fill in the rest. It would be best if the records were of your real identities." The innkeeper then lowered his head even more before slowly moving his head forwards to whisper to Hakkai, "But if it is unavoidable, please use whatever name comes to mind."

Hakkai smiled at the last bit of information and the thunder blasted, shaking the windows. His green eyes flashed intelligently as he filled in the forms for everyone. When he completed them, Hakkai chuckled. Sanzo got up from the couch wanting to take the key for his room before anyone else got up to take a key and happened to see the filled in form. Hakkai chuckled again, "I've run out of names for us."

Sanzo skimmed the forms. Mr Gold Munuc, Mr Red Roach, Mr Green Zwijn and Mr Brown Monkey. Sanzo held his anger but a vein throbbed visibly at the side of his head. "Gold Munuc?" He tsked and looked away, "Don't care." He walked back to the fireplace to catch a little bit more warmth to his feet after he took a key from Hakkai. His golden hair reflected the orange glow from the fire.

The innkeeper gathered all the forms, looked at the details and produced the other three keys. "Room number 12, 14 and 16, on the first floor to the left of the stairs. There is a bed in each room and a bathroom. There is a communal toilet at the end of the corridor in case anything is wrong with the ones in your rooms. Please call us if that happens. I'll ask one of my daughters to bring extra blankets up into your rooms." Hakkai nodded. Ta'ari watched the other three sitting near the fireplace trying to dry their cloaks and warm themselves. He looked at Hakkai who was still wearing his wet cloak and smiled, "Are you friends or brothers?"

Hakkai returned his smile, "We're all friends." And he heard a harrumph from Sanzo.

Sanzo spoke loudly under his breath, "They're not my friends." Hakkai just continued to smile.

"Let me show you to your rooms," Ta'ari picked up a candle and lit it. "The building is quite old and not all the walls are fitted with lamps." He apologized. The group picked up their cloaks and followed the dim candle light as Ta'ari walked up the stairs. The candle, though small, illuminated the narrow staircase. They turned left at the top of the stairs and Ta'ari passed a room that had its door slightly ajar. Suddenly there was a girl yelling from inside the room and it took everyone by surprise. Ta'ari bowed in apology, "I'm sorry! That was my daughter. Excuse me for a moment!" He quickly disappeared into the room and they heard him mumble to his daughters. "What are you girls doing? Stop fooling around in the rooms. Maya! Don't break another chair!" They heard an angry mumble coming from one of the girls and a sigh from Ta'ari. "And Momo! Get off the bed and get room 12, 14, 16 and 18 some extra blankets. Mimi! Let go of Maya's hair!" Then the angry mumble started to shout.

"She sure sounds angry," Goku stated, "that her voice kinda' scares me." Bubbles of tears appeared at the corners of his eyes. Hakkai laughed quietly as he patted Goku's head.

Gojyo grinned widely, "Sounds feisty." Sanzo frowned and Hakkai noticed the difference in his expression. Before he could make a witty comment Sanzo just walked ahead of them and unlocked his room. The door slam shut.

Ta'ari returned to the group with an apologetic smile on his face. He bowed his head repeatedly with his free hand behind his head, a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry about my daughter. She could be a little short tempered sometimes." He sighed, "But recently, she's been acting a lot stranger than usual."

"Why is that?" Gojyo asked him out of curiosity.

He looked up with a concerned look on his face but kept the smile intact, "Well... Maya doesn't like to be called-" Just before he could say anything, Sanzo opened his door and got out of his room. He passed through the group avoiding Goku's lunge at him as he screamed for food.

"I'm going out." He said to no one in particular. In his hands were a zippo and a cigarette pack. Gojyo turned to follow him, seduced by the cigarette packs but came face to face with the barrel of a gun, "And I'm going alone." Sanzo turned, disappeared down the stairs and they heard the loud gush of rain before the entrance door shut out the sound.

Someone's stomach grumbled and both Hakkai and Gojyo turned to look at Goku. He stuck out a tongue as he smiled cheekily, "I'm kinda' hungry." Suddenly, everyone's stomach grumbled. Hakkai smiled and Gojyo lowered his head, the top half of his face shadowed from disbelief that his stomach betrayed him.

Ta'ari grinned, "I'll ask one of my daughters to bring you all a hot meal. She's very good at cooking." He turned his head to one side and mumbled to himself, "Although I'd rather not taste her experimental food." He sweat dropped. Ta'ari cleared his throat and turned to face them again. "Well, shall I show you to your rooms?" Hakkai nodded and Ta'ari showed them to their rooms. Gojyo was in room 12, Goku in room 14 and Hakkai in room 16. Sanzo already took room number 18. When Hakkai stepped into his room, Ta'ari bowed a little, "I hope you enjoy your stay tonight. The rain will let up before the sun rises at dawn."

Hakkai thanked him and then asked Ta'ari, "Does it always rain this hard?" There was a hint of something in his voice that the innkeeper could not grasp and when he nodded his guest gave him a smile that he could see hid a deep sorrow, "Oh." Ta'ari left him alone.

Hakkai took his cloak off and a small, high pitch sound squeaked a 'kyuu' sound as Hakuryuu the white, shape-shifting dragon was freed from the warmth. Hakuryuu landed on Hakkai's shoulder and he smiled to the dragon. "You should rest tonight." The dragon flew off his shoulder and onto the bed where it curled and slept almost instantly. Hakkai smiled before looking out the window through the heavy sheet of rain.

An hour later, after everybody had gotten into their rooms and their blankets, Goku walked into Sanzo's room without even knocking. "What are you doing here, you stupid monkey?" He slammed his paper fan on Goku's head.

"Anh! I'm not the only one!" He pointed at Gojyo who was sitting on his chair by the desk. He was exhaling smoke as he shuffled a pack of cards.

"I've already asked the innkeeper to bring the food to this room." Sanzo was surprised that he didn't notice Hakkai sitting on the bed next to him. Hakkai was sipping tea.

"Where did you get that tea!?" Sanzo asked him, still angry and shocked.

Hakkai smiled, "Ha-ha-ha..."

Sanzo turned to Goku and smacked him more with the fan. "I'm going out!" He walked to the door.

"But it's still raining." Hakkai said to him. "You'll get wet again." Sanzo tsk-ed and walked angrily to the door. He opened it and almost bumped into trays of food. The girl infront of him gasped in surprise and paused with her eyes open wide as there was no collision. The group saw a girl with long, sky-blue hair that was tied in a ponytail. Her bright purple eyes shone even in the dim light. She, though, looked quite ordinary; wearing only a pair of faded jeans and a loose shirt. Sanzo's face of surprise suddenly changed into something that was of confusion.

Suddenly, an image of a girl flashed in his mind. He couldn't see her clearly but he could see her soft, thin lips move; her milk-white shoulders were uncovered. The image disappeared. He stared at the girl and he heard a voice said in desperation, 'Konzen!' His mind returned to reality when he heard someone make a lot of noise.

Gojyo jumped off the chair, toppling it to one side; a dirty thought in his head, "Pretty girl!" Hakkai and Gojyo turned into chibi. Hakkai pulled Gojyo by his shirt as he was sipping tea, stopping him from getting to the girl.

Hakkai glanced at her, "I'm sorry for his rudeness. Are you here with our meals?" The girl nodded. Goku's ears twitched and he perked up, his head full of bumps. "You could leave it on the desk over there." He nodded with a smile.

"Food!" Goku jumped up, fully healed from the previous paper fan abuse, "Thank you, sis!" His eyes sparkled and he drooled happily at the sweet-smelling, hot food that she placed on the desk. Goku started filling spoonfuls in his mouth and Gojyo sat on the edge of the bed, eating his food. The girl bowed and walked out.

Sanzo was still standing by the door and Hakkai got off the bed. "Sanzo, I'd like to go sightseeing around town tomorrow." He gave him a smile, "Maybe they have local wine." Sanzo tsked as Hakkai left. It seemed that when he left the room it signaled everyone else to get out and return to their own beds.

Goku poked his head between the door before Sanzo had the chance to close it. "What, dumb monkey?" The monk growled.

His face was innocent and his eyes widened in undeniable cuteness that it irritated Sanzo even more, "Are you going to eat your dinner?" Sanzo slammed the door after he had smacked Goku over 9000 times. Goku was outside Sanzo's door, tears rolling down his cheeks like waterfalls. "Nnh... Why can't he just say 'yes'?"

Gojyo picked up an apple from one of the stalls and Goku eyed it intently. His eyes followed the red fruit up and down as Gojyo repeatedly threw it upwards from the tips of his fingers, catching it in the palm of his hand. Hakkai walked into a shop and went straight to the counter. His eyes caught sight of an old lady hunched behind the counter, pulling out a dusty bottle.

"I've not seen eyes so keen when I pull this out." She said in her little voice. She stood up and placed the dusty bottle on the desk. "How may I help you?"

Hakkai smiled, "I'll buy it." He flipped a golden credit card from his fingers. The old woman's lips curved into a small smile as she wrapped the bottle with old newspapers and putting it into a paper bag. "Is it possible to have items delivered to _The Inn_?"

There was a short pause from the old woman and her hands stopped moving. They fell to her sides and then she held them behind her. "That Maya is a troublesome girl." Hakkai continued to stare at her but politely lowered his gaze. "Ta'ari adopted her a year ago and ever since then the town has always flooded every night. That is why everything is now on stilts." The woman coughed to clear her throat, "She's nothing but a curse."

She slowly realized that she was with a customer and smiled again, "I'm sorry. I was daydreaming." She folded the paper bag and put it into another paper bag before handing it to Hakkai, "If you'd like to buy our wines in bulk, I'll gladly have my grandson deliver it over to _The Inn_ for you." She nodded.

Hakkai gave her a smile and thanked her. When he stepped outside, he could hear Goku and Gojyo fighting over the apple. His eyebrows furrowed in concern but his smile was stuck to his face, "Oh my..."

Back at _The Inn,_ Sanzo was sitting at a table in the dining room provided there. He was reading his newspaper, halfway through. Ta'ari's twin daughters stared at the piles of beer cans on his table and looked at each other. Every time any of them tried to clear the table he would tell them to leave the cans. And every time they asked if he wanted anything else, he'd tell them, "Nothing." Their other sister fumed and both the twins sweat dropped.

"I don't understand him! Every time I go there, he'd ask me to get him beer!" she clenched a fist and grabbed onto a tray with her other hand. "I'm going to tell him that I'm not the only person working here!" Momo and Mimi sweat dropped even more as their sister stomped her way to Sanzo. "Hey you-!"

Sanzo folded the newspaper and looked at her from behind his glasses. "Get me another cold beer."

"Okay, sir!" She smiled happily. She turned around and suddenly felt like she was pierced by an arrow. She turned to look at him again, angrily, "Hey! No, I'm not going to get you another beer!" Sanzo lifted an eyebrow. She slammed her free hand on the edge of the table, making the cans shake and some fall on the floor, "You've been making me get you beers all this time and refused whenever my sisters asked if you wanted anything. Why are you picking on me?" She glared at Sanzo.

The monk tsk-ed angrily and stood up, making her take a step back. "Airhead."

Veins popped out of her head and the twins grabbed her from under her arms to stop her from attacking their customer with the tray. They were all in chibi. "Why you-! You're nothing more than... than..." She looked at the table full of beer cans, "-a beer barrel!"

There was silence and a vein popped out of his head. He tsk-ed and turned his head away, "Airhead."

Fire burst out of her mouth, "Stupid monk!" she waved her arms and the twins were flung. Then, she realized, Sanzo was already gone.

The whole gang was in Sanzo's room again and the monk himself had veins bursting out of his golden head, "Why are you in here again?"

Hakkai just smiled while Gojyo and Goku fought over the last bits of food. Sanzo tsk-ed as he pulled out a cigarette and lighted it. Hakkai drank his tea, "Before I came in here, I told her to come up in an hour to pick the plates." Sanzo was sitting on the bed, leaning against the pillows, so that he was facing the other three. He stared at his bespectacled friend. "She'll be here soon."

Goku and Gojyo had just finished fighting when there was a knock on the door. Goku jumped over to the door and opened it for one of Ta'ari's daughters. "I'm here to pick up the plates." She bowed her head slightly. Hakkai called out to her before she could pick up the plate. She turned around and saw him. "Yes?"

"Please," he said, "sit." He was standing, now, behind a chair.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay with the guests." She bowed again, a little uncomfortable. She turned and quickly walked to the door but Goku closed the door with a quiet click. "Excuse me, but..." She looked up at Goku and took a step back. She heard the monk tsk and she turned to see him. Her eyes widened for a split second out of recognition but then the expression was fleeting and it disappeared.

"We need to ask you some questions." Sanzo told her, "Sit down." He ordered in his deep voice.

"Please." Hakkai added and she nodded once after a long silence.

When she finally sat down, all four of them were facing her. Gojyo shot a question, "What's your name?" Sanzo smacked the paper fan at him for asking something useless.

"S-," She coughed a little bit, "My name is Maya."

Gojyo appeared at her side, "What a cute name! It's fitting for such a pretty girl like you." He took her hand and introduced himself, "I'm Sha Gojyo." She sweat dropped. He slowly lowered his face, almost kissing her hand when a paper fan violently whacked him before boomeranging back to Sanzo. Gojyo was left unconscious on the floor and she had a concerned look on her face. What did she get herself into?

"I'll ask it once." She turned her head to look at Sanzo, "What happened here?" They, including Gojyo who had recovered, saw her grimace.

"Does it always rain this heavily?" Hakkai asked. "Your father mentioned before that it would always subside by morning. It seemed to be a little too precise. And the flooding..."

"Do demons attack here?" Goku piped in after he had cleaned Gojyo's plate.

"My food!" Gojyo shouted and he wrestled with Goku, "Give it back!" Goku stuck his tongue out.

The girl lowered her head, shadowing her eyes. Then, she smiled. "I knew you weren't ordinary when I saw you all." Gojyo and Goku stopped and everyone looked at her, "You're all demons, aren't you?" She quickly got off the chair, toppling it over as she pointed at them.

"Wow! How'd you know?" Goku looked flattered, red circular marks appeared on his cheeks.

Gojyo combed back his long red hair, "Did it give it away?" Hakkai just smiled.

Sanzo frowned angrily, "I'm not a demon."

She smiled angrily, "I know you aren't... Genjo Sanzo!" The heavy thunder rumbled around them.

Hakkai raised his hand, "His name is Gold Munuc."

"Momo! Mimi!" Ta'ari called out to his daughters but they didn't reply, "Momo! Mimi! Come in here!" The thunderous growl shook the building. "This is no time for hide and seek!" He walked away from the reception desk and went to the kitchen but they weren't there. He looked at the storage room and the little office but they were nowhere to be seen. When he returned to the entrance room he saw that the entrance door was opened. He sighed, "Even if they're guests they should close the door behind them."

He walked over to the door and something glinting on the porch caught his eye. He squinted his eyes as he walked towards it. His heart almost stopped as he realized that the glint was actually two necklaces owned by his twins. He grabbed the jewelries and looked out at the rain, "Momo! Mimi!" His eyes searched for them. He ran from one end of the porch to the other, frantically searching for them through his eyes at the rain. He knew that if they were out in this flood and rain at this time they might drown. He rushed down the stairs that kept the building dry, "Momo! Mimi!" The flood water was up to his chest. Without thinking, he dived into the water.

"You must be a demon." Sanzo grinned angrily, "I'll kill you." He pulled out his gun and cocked the hammer.

"I don't think so, Sanzo." Hakkai said to him, "She doesn't seem to have any demonic aura."

Goku nodded, "Neither does her father."

"Father?" She raised an eyebrow, "He's not my father!" Her voice raised a bit.

"We already knew that." Hakkai quipped.

Gojyo joined in, "You look nothing like your father. Your sisters don't look like you at all either." Gojyo let out a short 'heh' as he smiled in disappointment, "And I was hoping for triplets."

Goku stood up, "But he did call you his daughter."

The girl shook her head, "I am just an orphan. His wife, Mononoke, saved me a year ago and she died in this flood. The day was turning to night..."

Ta'ari had the girl in his arms, she was unconscious. He turned to his wife, "Mononoke?"

The beautiful blonde woman frowned at her husband. "I sense demons around here." She shushed him before he said anything else, "Go now and save that girl!" She ordered him.

"What?" Ta'ari wanted to put the girl down and stop his wife who was moving away from him.

Her face slowly turned into sadness and she gave him a smile, "And take care of the twins, Ta'-kun," She turned and dashed into the forest. Ta'ari put the girl down gently but quickly. He jumped up and ran after his wife.

"Mononoke!"

"And the rain came." She told them.

"Did the demons...?" Goku trailed off his question and the girl shook her head.

"After Ta'ari followed her into the forest, the rain became severe and it started to flood." She continued, "He couldn't find Mononoke and he came back to get me. No one could survive a flood like that especially in the forest." She clenched her fists, "There are demons there!" Tears glazed her eyes and she begged, "Please, I've heard that a group led by a monk named Genjo Sanzo have been killing demons! Please kill them to save this family! This town's safety!"

"It's strange." Hakkai pondered out loud, "Mrs Mononoke ran into the forest, which means that the demons are dwelling there." He looked at her, "Why would a group of demons stay so close in hiding to a town that is disadvantaged?"

The girl wiped the tears away from her eyes, stopping it from rolling down her cheeks. "There's been a rumor of a legend that a God once in ancient times landed in this part of the land. He then fell in love with a human and married her."

Sanzo tsked, "A romance story is nothing demons would wait out for." He got tired of keeping his hand up and pointing the gun at her. The monk lowered his weapon and looked out at the window from where he was standing.

She replied angrily, "There may not be anything to the legend but if it was true then one of the people here may be the descendant. A Godling."

Hakkai got off the bed with a frown, "If they do get their hands on a Godling, it would jump-start the revival of Gyumao."

"Gyumao?" The girl asked.

Gojyo nodded, "Gyumao, the Demon King."

The girl shook her head, "Please! Won't you help this town?" She looked at the whole group then Sanzo let out a grunt.

"No."

"Wh-what?" She was shocked. Here they were, the people who she heard could easily wipe out a large number of demons and the golden headed monk says a simple rejection. "Wh-why? Why won't you help?!" There was a long silence and she stood straight, glaring at Sanzo with a lifted chin, "If you won't help, then I'll do it!" She ran out of the room and disappeared down the stairs.

Suddenly, they heard a scream. The four of them ran towards the sound and it was the girl called Maya on the floor. She had been hit by one of the townspeople who came into the building. "You're just a curse to this town!" One of them said. "Without Ta'ari here to stop us from doing what we were supposed to do-!" Another said.

"Ta'ari? Where's my father?" She asked them, a little frightened.

"He's gone! He jumped into the water!" One said. "The twins went before him with someone." Another shouted. "They'd rather leave you alone! They can't handle a curse like you anymore!" There were more shouts. "Just kill her already!" A machete was raised and dropped on the girl.

A clash of metal against metal echoed and the townspeople gasped as they saw Gojyo's weapon. A jakujou, a staff with a crescent blade, gleaming in the dim light. He chuckled, "It isn't nice to try and beat up an innocent and helpless lady."

They heard a click and looked to one side where Sanzo had his feet apart with his shourejyu, a banishment gun, pulled out and pointed at the person with the machete. "I'll kill you."

Goku was twirling his nyoibou, a red staff, around above his head with a huge excited grin on his face, "Are we fighting? Are we fighting?" He spread his legs wide in a low fighting stance to keep the balance of his weapon and his body.

Hakkai tilted his head to one side with a smile on his face while one of his arms was over his chest, the hand supporting his right elbow as his right hand tapped on the side of his temple, "Now, now... I don't think this is a good idea."

The girl got off the floor and she pushed Sanzo angrily which took everyone by surprise, "I don't need your help!" She flashed her purple eyes at the golden haired monk, expressing anger. Then something glinted at her neck.

It caught Sanzo's attention and for some reason, he grabbed her by the arm. She yelped in surprise and stopped moving. Sanzo's eyes stared at the little locket around her neck and stared at the engraving, "Chan Sakura." Then a voice struck into his mind like a bolt of thunder, calling out a name, 'Konzen!'.

The girl escaped from his grip and stepped away from Sanzo. She turned to look at the townspeople, "Get out of my way! I need to save my family!" She pushed the crowd away and disappeared into the water. The four guys looked at each other. Hakkai nodded and they walked out into the rain.

As lightning flashed and thunder rumbled in the sky booming across the land, Ta'ari grabbed onto a trunk of a tree to keep himself from being swept by the current of the flood. He stared into the darkness of the forest and gritted his teeth. "Mononoke!" He yelled, "I won't lose our daughters! I promise you!" He waded through the cold water, his teeth chattering as the wind and rain beat on him. Ta'ari shouted against the rain, "I won't lose them! Not like I lost you!"

Unbeknownst to Ta'ari, demons watched his every move.

 **TO BE CONTINUED...**

 _ **Please Read and Review!**_

Azrah's Notes:

Hope you enjoy my first post. :)

Xanvas' Notes:

After many difficult hours of reworking and retyping **Goddess' Journey** it's finally done! If there are any sub-characters who you'd love to have an "extra chapter" on, please do not hesitate to leave it in the reviews (comments)! Or e-mail me. I don't mind.

We'll also try our best to write brief meanings of some words which could be confusing while you were reading and place them at the end of every chapter after any of my or Azrah-chan's notes (blurbs). If you still don't understand some words, please do not hesitate to look up a dictionary. They're friendly and will only give you paper cuts if you're inexperienced in handling and taming books. Unless you use an electronic dictionary... Then you'd just have to try and avoid thunderstorms and short circuits.

I'd like to thank everyone who has read it this far. Thank you very much and hope you enjoyed reading!

 _Brief Word Definitions:_

 **Godling** – A child born of a God/Goddess and human parent.

 **Jakujou** – A staff used by Sha Gojyo. It has a crescent shaped blade at one end of the weapon which is attached to a chain hidden within the staff itself. Good for mid and long range attacks.

 **Machete** – A broad, heavy knife used as an implement or a weapon, orginating from the Carribean and in Central America.

 **Monocle** – A single eyeglass usually kept in position by the muscles around the eye. Hakkai's monocle was modified to clip on his nose.

 **Munuc** – An Old English word for "Monk".

 **Murmur** – A soft sound made by a person or group speaking quietly or in the distance.

 **Nyoibou** – The "Almighty Staff" used by the Monkey King, 'Son Goku'. It could grow in length to attack enemies in the distance. Good for mid and long range attacks.

 **Quip** – Witty remark.

 **Shourejyu** – The "Banishment Gun" used by Genjo Sanzo. It is a revolver equipped with holy exorcism bullets which is very effective when used on demons. Good for short and mid range attacks.

 **Stance** – A pose, the way a person stands especially when deliberately done.

 **Stilts** – Upright poles or posts that supports buildings above ground.

 **Subside** – Less intense or severe, to lessen and end, lapse into silence or inactivity.

 **Temple** – A building devoted to worship. Also the flat area on either side of the forehead.

 **Unbeknownst** – Without the knowledge of.

 **Zippo** – A lighter contained in a metal casing where the top lid is quickly flipped open to expose the flame.

 **Zwijn** – A Dutch word for "Swine". Another word for pig.


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